How to find the best childcare for your child

By the time she was 12 years old, Emma was an adult.
She had moved from a small city to a suburb in south-western Melbourne to work in a local nursing home.
There, she worked alongside her mother, who had come from a long-term care home.
The nursing home, which was one of a handful in the state, was an anomaly, she says.
“There was no other facility for the young people,” she says, describing a “nursing utopia” where children had a choice between working full-time or part-time.
For the past two years, Emma has been learning to code.
In her spare time, she is trying to find her way back into a “career” she’s not yet ready for.
“I have to be able to work for a living, that’s something I need to figure out,” she explains.
The internet is everywhere and it’s not uncommon for young people to use apps to find jobs.
However, a large number of Australians still struggle to find childcare or find employment.
“We’re living in a time when a lot of young people are not able to find employment or are working part- or full- time,” says Anna Chua, an associate professor at the University of Adelaide.
“In some cases, the lack of employment or the lack and the stigma around finding work means they’re not able or do not want to go out and do it, and they’re in a situation where they’re unable to support themselves or support their families.”
And for young Australians, finding childcare can be a challenging endeavour.
In some states, a person can earn up to $12,000 a year as a full- or part -time worker, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This includes childcare.
However, it’s a relatively low amount of money compared to the cost of a week’s pay for a family of four, or more than $300 a week.
And childcare can also be a struggle for many people, especially if they don’t have a strong work history.
“They have to go back to school or they’re at university,” Emma says.
“I can’t do that.”
She also needs to find a way to make ends meet, as she has no savings.
In some places, the cost is prohibitive.
In Queensland, for example, childcare costs an average of $1,800 a week, according the Australian Council of Social Service.
And even if a parent does manage to find full- and part-timing, they are often not able, for a variety of reasons.
“The fact that they don.t have the same skills, or the same experience, or they are not qualified or the job is not in their area, it really can be devastating,” Emma explains.
“And the reality is, we don’t really know what is working and what isn’t, and we don.m doing so many things at once, it can be hard to do what you want.”
It’s a struggle that Emma is trying not to put a price tag on.
The cost of childcare in Australia is higher than most developed countries, but the situation is much more difficult for young adults.
According to the OECD, the median age of an Australian’s primary carer is 32, and for those aged 20-24 it is 27.
And for those who work full-year, it is 24.
In addition, the average number of hours worked per week is just over 30 hours.
If you add up all the cost factors together, it comes out to a $17,000 annual cost.
“That’s not even including the cost that’s associated with housing and the cost associated with transport, the price of childcare, the rent, the electricity,” Emma continues.
“And of course the cost for other things like food, transport and childcare.”
And if you factor in the cost to the state for healthcare, mental health, education and other costs, the figure is even higher.
The average annual cost of care in Australia for young persons aged 18-24 is $2,664, according a recent report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
For young Australians in particular, the situation becomes more challenging.
The report also found that more than 50 per cent of young Australians had been out of work for at least five years, compared to just 10 per cent for the population as a whole.
It’s also been found that about half of all young Australians are currently unemployed, and that, while unemployment is on the rise, the number of young unemployed Australians has remained relatively stable.
But there is hope.
According the Australian Youth Commission, a growing number of youth are embracing the skills and experiences they need to be productive citizens.
“As young people, we know we can work hard and play hard,” says Kate McCarron, a senior research associate at the Australian Human Rights Commission.